By Liza Soriano
MANILA — Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri met with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Friday (April 19, 2024). They discussed strengthening the economic ties between the two countries.
Zubiri said the meeting with Luxon, who is in the Philippines as part of his working trip across Southeast Asia, is a good opportunity to cultivate closer relations with New Zealand as a partner in development in the Indo-Pacific region.
He added that they wanted to engage New Zealand in deeper economic and agricultural cooperation.
“We have much to learn from New Zealand’s success as a global agricultural exporter. Coming from Bukidnon, which I always call the New Zealand of Mindanao, I am very eager to initiate more agricultural knowledge sharing, capacity building, and technology transfer initiatives between our countries,” the Senate chief added.
Along with bilateral security cooperation, the Senate President and the Prime Minister emphasized that the Philippines and New Zealand are like-minded countries that share the objective of maintaining a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific region.
(el Amigo/MNM)